Advocating Autism Recovery & Awareness Worldwide

Tagged Disorder

I have been working for CARD as the social networking coordinator since November 2010, and yesterday was the first time I sat in on a therapy session. Before working here I was unfamiliar with autism and didn’t know that it is treatable. Luckily, the session I had the opportunity to sit in on was with Jack Riley as he worked with his therapist Jessica as The A-Word was being filmed.

The trusted and dedicated staff from the CARD branch offices of Rochester and Larchmont are now offering packages of exclusive products and services designed for effective treatment, training and evaluation. This six-month contract will provide the following services at a value of $1,000 per month:

Amoako Buachie is a 20-year-old artist from Flatbush Brooklyn, New York, who at the age of 15, was diagnosed as an autistic savant with a special ability to draw. His mother, Akosua, who came to the United States from Ghana 18 years ago, says that he has been “carrying around a pencil since he was three.” Remarkably, Amoako can draw and paint from memory without using reference materials.

The image of me at 25 weeks pregnant –so happily showing off my swollen belly leaves me asking if Jack riley was already affected then. I wonder, while looking at a picture of him just days home from the hospital if he was already on this path or if we’ve done something to him or not protected him in some way from the monster that would ultimately take over.

Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder that is marked by the presence of impaired social interaction and communication in addition to a restricted repertoire of activities and interests. According to the Center for Disease Control Prevention, one in every 110 children is diagnosed with autism in America, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined.